1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rubber plug insertion apparatus for and a rubber plug insertion method of mounting a rubber plug onto an end of an electric wire.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a rubber plug insertion apparatus for inserting an end of an electric wire into a rubber plug, there has been proposed one (not prior art) comprising: a rubber plug supply section for aligning and supplying rubber plugs; a rubber plug delivery section for receiving rubber plugs from the rubber plug supply section and delivering these at a predetermined timing; and a rubber plug mounting section for sequentially mounting the rubber plugs supplied from the rubber plug delivery section onto the end of the electric wire. The rubber plug supply section has a function for aligning and sequentially supplying the rubber plugs to the rubber plug receiving apparatus side. The rubber plug delivery section has a function for delivering the rubber plugs supplied from the rubber plug supply section to the rubber plug mounting section.
As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, the rubber plug mounting section 1 clamps a rubber plug 2 between a pair of rubber plug holders 3, 4 arranged so as to face each other. Also, the rubber plug mounting section 1 makes the rubber plug 2 approach to the end of an electric wire 6 held by an electric wire holding means 5, and mounts the rubber plug onto the end of the electric wire. Housing recess portions 3A, 4A are respectively formed for housing the rubber plug 2, on the opposite side of these rubber plug holders 3, 4. Moreover, the rubber plug mounting section 1 has a pair of insertion guides 7, 8 at a position towards the electric wire holding means 5 from the rubber plug holder 3, 4. The insertion guides 7, 8 are provided with insertion pipe portions 7A, 8A protruding towards the rubber plug holders 3, 4, in such a shape that a pipe is divided into half along the central axis. As shown in FIG. 1A, it is set such that these insertion pipe portions 7A and 8A are joined together to form a cylinder. Also the insertion guides 7, 8 are provided relatively movable with respect to the rubber plug holders 3, 4, for inserting the insertion pipe portions 7A, 8A toward the barrel hole in the rubber plug 2 clamped between the rubber plug holders 3, 4. The cylinder formed by joining the insertion pipe portions 7A, 8A ensures a space for inserting and guiding the end of the electric wire 6 within the rubber plug 2.
Based on the above construction, as shown in FIG. 1A, the insertion pipe portions 7A, 8A of the insertion guides 7, 8 joined together are inserted into the barrel hole in the rubber plug 2 held by the rubber plug holders 3, 4 from the electric wire holding means 5 side. From this state, the united rubber plug 2, rubber plug holders 3, 4 and insertion guides 7, 8 are moved in parallel to the axial direction of the end of the electric wire 6 toward the end of the electric wire 6 side. Thereafter as shown in FIG. 1B, the end of the electric wire 6 is passed through the insertion pipe portions 7A, 8A. From the state shown in FIG. 1B, the insertion pipe portions 7A, 8A of the insertion guides 7, 8 are pulled out towards the electric wire holding means 5 side, to thereby become the state shown in FIG, 1C. From the state shown in FIG. 1C, the insertion guides 7, 8 and the rubber plug holders 3, 4 are separated from each other in the vertical direction. In this manner, mounting the rubber plug 2 onto the end of the electric wire 6 is completed.
In the above-described rubber plug insertion apparatus that has been heretofore proposed, however, it is required to ensure a distance L1 for palling out the insertion guides 7, 8 between the electric wire holding means 5 and the rubber plug holders 3, 4, as shown in FIG. 1C. Therefore, there is a problem in that the length of the and of the electric wire 6 extending from the electric wire holding means 5 becomes long. If the length of the electric wire 6 extending from the electric wire holding means 5 increases, the weight of the electric wire cannot be supported due to the rigidity of the electric wire. Accordingly, in the state as shown in FIG. 1A, the end of the electric wire 6 is apt to be bent downward, causing a problem in that it becomes difficult to reliably introduce and guide the end of the electric wire 6 to the insertion guides 7, 8.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rubber plug insertion apparatus for and a rubber plug insertion method of mounting a rubber plug onto an end of an electric wire, wherein an electric wire can be reliably inserted into the rubber plug and defective insertion hardly occurs.
The first aspect of the invention provides a rubber plug insertion apparatus comprising: a rubber plug holder by which a rubber plug to be mounted on the end of the electric wire is held; and an insertion guide for guiding the end of the electric wire into an electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug in the rubber plug holder, at the time of insertion of the tend of the electric wire, wherein the insertion guide is arranged on the side opposite to one side where the end of the electric wire is inserted into the rubber plug holder.
According to the first aspect of the invention, since the insertion guide is arranged on the side of the rubber plug holder opposite to the insertion side of the end of the electric wire, the electric wire holding position can be set in the vicinity of that end. That is to say, the extension length of the electric wire from the holding position to the point of the end of the electric wire can be made short. Accordingly, bending of the end of the electric wire is unlikely to occur, and hence the end of the electric wire can be reliably inserted into the electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug. As a result, a rubber plug insertion apparatus that hardly produces defective goods can be realized.
The second aspect of the invention provides a rubber plug insertion apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the rubber plug bolder comprises: a holding groove for holding a holder body and the rubber plug; an opening for inserting the end of the electric wire, provided continuously on one side or the holding groove, so as to expand gradually towards the insertion side of the end of the electric wire; and an opening on the insertion guide side provided on the other side of the holding groove, into which the insertion guide is inserted, and the insertion guide comprises: a guide body; and a guide barrel provided in a protruding condition from the guide body, inserted from the opening on the insertion guide, side and inserted into the electric wire penetrating bole in the rubber plug in the holding groove.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the end of the electric wire can be reliably guided to the electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug, by means of the opening for inserting the end of the electric wire formed on the rubber plug holder so its to expand gradually towards the insertion side. Moreover, by inserting the guide barrel of the insertion guide from the opening on the insertion guide, side of the rubber plug holder, it can be prevented that insertion of the end of the electric wire into the electric wire penetrating hole becomes difficult, due to reasons, for example, the electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug is collapsed, or the like.
The third aspect of the invention provides a rubber plug insertion method of inserting the end of the electric wire held by the electric wire holding section into a rubber plug in the state protruding from the electric wire holding section by a predetermined dimension, the method comprising the steps of; housing and holding the rubber plug by putting the rubber plug between upper and lower rubber plug holders arranged in proximity to the end of the electric wire; inserting an insertion guide into the rubber plug holder from the opposite side of the end of the electric wire; inserting a guide barrel of the insertion guide into the electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug in the rubber plug holder; moving the rubber plug holder and the guide barrel in this state toward the end of the electric wire; inserting the end of the electric wire into the electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug in the rubber plug holder; removing the rubber plug holder from the rubber plug, by pulling out the guide barrel of the insertion guide from the electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug toward the side opposite to one side where the end of the electric wire is inserted; and taking out the end of the electric wire mounted with the rubber plug.
According to the third aspect of the invention, since the insertion guide is arranged on the side of the rubber plug holder opposite to the insertion side of the end of the electric wire, the holding position of the electric wire can be set in the vicinity of that end. That is to say, the side for pulling out the guide barrel of the insertion guide from the rubber plug holder is the opposite side to the insertion side of the end of the electric wire. Therefore, even if the vicinity of the end of the electric wire is held, it does not interrupt the operation of pulling out the insertion guide from the rubber plug. As a result, the extension length of the electric wire from the holding position to the point of the end of the electric wire can be set short, thereby bending of the end of the electric wire is unlikely to occur, and hence the end of the electric wire can be reliably inserted into the electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug. Accordingly, a rubber plug insertion method that hardly causes defective insertion can be realized. Moreover, by inserting the guide barrel of the insertion guide from the side opposite to the end of the electric wire, it can be prevented that insertion of the end of the electric wire into the electric wire penetrating hole becomes difficult, due to reasons, for example, the electric wire penetrating hole in the rubber plug is collapsed, or the like.